


The Festival

by ImperialKatwala



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Potatoes, Temporary Character Death, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperialKatwala/pseuds/ImperialKatwala
Summary: I really said "No one's writing about Techno's thought process during the festival" and then wrote it myselfOr, why Technoblade made some of his decisions. Now with a second chapter!
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 16
Kudos: 306





	1. Execution

The crossbow was heavy in Techno's hand. Too heavy, heavier than it should be, even with the rocket loaded in place of an arrow. Heavy with hesitance rather than physical weight.

Tubbo was standing uncertainly in the center of the temporary holding cell. It still hadn't fully dawned on him what was happening, Techno knew; he wasn't scared yet.

He really should be.

"What do you want me to do, Schlatt?" Techno asked, his deadpan demeanor coming in handy as he fought to keep his voice even. His grip tightened on the crossbow. He needed to hear Schlatt _say_ it.

Schlatt's eyelid twitched. He took half a pace forward, irritation and impatience etched into his frame. _"I want you to kill him,_ Technoblade! And make it hurt!"

There were gasps and shouts from the crowd behind him, people braver than Techno, protesting what was about to happen. Niki and Fundy were the loudest, their voices angry and shocked. Techno glanced behind him at the chairs far below, enough to see that Niki had stood up to yell at Schlatt. She was too far away for him to see anything else.

"Schlatt..." Quackity said carefully. "We have him trapped here, isn't that enough?"

"Just imprison him," Techno agreed. It was a flimsy hope, a fragile suggestion, but -

"Not enough." Schlatt's voice was harsh and unforgiving. He glared at Techno, gesturing sharply to the prisoner. "Technoblade."

Techno felt frozen. Tubbo was a kid, he was just a _kid,_ and now Schlatt was glaring at him with a fire in his eyes that Techno recognized, asking him to execute this _literal child_ in front of a crowd.

The crossbow was heavy.

Tubbo backed away, his back hitting the concrete walls of his tiny cell. There was fear in his eyes now. It had registered. "T-Techno?"

A thought popped into Techno's head; where was Tubbo's spawn point? It certainly wasn't here, in a tiny cell in front of Schlatt, in front of all of Manberg. Dying would be painful, yes, but it was also the fastest and most inconspicuous way to get him _out_ of the situation. And besides, getting on Schlatt's bad side now, on his home turf, surrounded by his lackeys, would be foolish at best and deadly at worst.

This was the best way.

Techno took a deep breath. "Tubbo... I'm sorry." He raised his crossbow, aiming it right at Tubbo's heart. "I'll make this as painless as I can."

Terrified tears began to pour down Tubbo's face, though he gave Techno a tiny, understanding nod. He'd been under Schlatt's thumb for weeks now, after all. He understood.

Screams echoed from the seats below as Techno pulled the trigger, one louder than the rest.

_"TUBBO!"_ Tommy screamed like his heart was breaking, audible even over the rocket detonating.

He would respawn, Techno repeated like a mantra. He would respawn, just like Schlatt and Quackity, who had evidently been standing close enough to be caught in the rocket blast. Their inventories floated innocently next to the cell meant for a child.

Tommy appeared next to him, then, in a swirl of purple particles, still screaming for Tubbo. He had a sword in his hand. Techno barely registered him lashing out, the sword glancing off Techno's netherite chestplate like it was nothing.

Suddenly, Techno was angry. The uncomfortable ache in his chest melted into rage. Good. He was used to rage. The crossbow no longer felt heavy; he whirled around, ignoring Tommy shouting at him, and started shooting at random into the crowd.

It didn't matter. They'd respawn.

He found himself laughing, enjoying the carnage. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, like a game, like revenge.

Then the dead began to reappear, confused and angry. Techno's own anger subsided slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, he jumped into the waterfall to the side of the stage, using his new trident to propel himself away.

Time to retreat.

... And apologize to Tubbo.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning to have a second chapter, but I wanted some found family and some soft Technoblade, so I wrote some. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just fyi, I wrote Tubbo and Tommy really soft and affectionate because I think they could both use a hug and I absolutely love their dynamic. This was written as a friendship, not as romantic.

Techno sighed, wiping the last of the blood from his knuckles. A fistfight was _not_ how he'd wanted to end the day, thank you very much, but he hadn't been given much of a choice.

Neither of them had.

Wilbur's voice crawled through Techno's mind again, eager and unsettling. _"Watch out, Technoblade, Tommy's angry at you... Do it,_ do it, _kill him! Punch him!"_

He'd prowled on the outskirts of the conversation, striking every time one of them voiced hesitance. He'd given them - Tommy especially - no room to breathe, no room to think. Just stoked the flame.

... Tommy had never looked at Techno like that before.

It stung, still, more than the bruises Tommy had caused (Techno was a little bit proud of him; his stance had been good, his hits had been solid). Seeing Tommy so angry had brought back that ache from the podium, something deep in his chest, something uncomfortable and sharp. He didn't like it. He didn't know how to make it go away.

Techno glanced into his ender chest (they really needed a permanent one down at the bottom of the ravine) and pulled out a potion of regeneration. He took a few sips, just enough to make the bruises fade and ensure he wouldn't feel as sore tomorrow, then carefully set the vial back in the chest. Conservation of resources and all that.

"Did Tommy really do that much damage to you?"

Techno managed not to jump at the sudden comment, though it was a near thing. He turned to see Wilbur leaned casually against the wall, a smirk playing across his lips.

"Nah, just a precaution," Techno explained, picking the ender chest up again. Though maybe he could leave it here? He could always get another one to carry around. No, he'd already picked it up, putting it back down would be weird.

Wilbur snorted. "Yeah, didn't think so. He's not strong enough to do lasting damage."

Techno paused, tilting his head slightly to one side. "... What do you mean?"

"I _mean,_ look how hard it was for him to do even _that_ to you!" Wilbur gestured at the rather impressive mark on Techno's cheek from Tommy's first punch. "I had to goad him into it, and even with how angry he was he had trouble!"

"I've had a lot more experience than Tommy," Techno reasoned. "His form was good, he just needs more muscle and more practice."

Wilbur snorted again, but didn't comment.

Techno frowned. "... Unless that's not what you meant. You... Are you upset he didn't want to fight me?"

"Before this whole mess he wouldn't have hesitated," Wilbur growled, his hands balling into fists.

"Yeah. He's gotten a lot more mature since I've been here." It was impressive, really, how much Tommy had grown. Techno had heard about the duel at the end of the war with Dream, how bright, firey Tommy had launched into it with the same reckless passion he did everything else. And now he was trying _so hard_ to do the right thing, to make the right decisions, to get back the country he'd helped build in a way the old Wilbur would have been proud of.

Techno wondered if Tommy had realized Wilbur's opinion on his newfound maturity.

When had Wilbur stopped being proud of him?

Luckily or unluckily, Techno wasn't sure, Wilbur didn't reply. He just turned and walked away into the deeper parts of the ravine, kicking pebbles against the wall.

Techno watched him go. After the carnage from the afternoon, then the fight with Tommy, he was just tired. He didn't have the energy to try and pull apart the snarls Wilbur had knotted himself up in.

So instead of going after Wilbur, or trying to find Tommy, or anything else emotionally draining, Techno wandered over to the fire pit near the staircase to the surface and started a fire.

He very carefully coaxed the flame into a proper campfire, then took some of his potatoes out of a nearby chest and tucked them into the coals to cook. He sat down heavily, sighing, and just watched the flames flicker. It was weirdly relaxing.

He was pulled out of his reverie by footsteps and quiet conversation. Techno glanced up to see the three other members of Pogtopia coming down the stairs; the sun must have set. He'd seen them go outside earlier.

Tommy went silent when he saw Techno, a hard set to his jaw, but Tubbo waved and came over to sit by the fire. After a moment of reluctance, Tommy and Niki joined him.

Techno gave Tubbo a nod and poked his potatoes with a stick. Almost done.

A silence settled over them, almost stifling but not quite. Techno went back to staring at the fire.

Fire made more sense than people, sometimes, he mused. It was very straightforward. No hidden agendas, no subterfuge, nothing unexpected. It just burned. Everyone knew it would burn.

He felt like fire, sometimes.

Techno poked the potatoes again, decided they were done, and scraped them out of the coals. He had made four, so he wordlessly handed them out to the others and set another one to cook for Wilbur.

They murmured 'thank you's, then went quiet again as they started eating. This was a far more comfortable silence; food had a way of doing that. Maybe because they had something to do besides sit there. Maybe because it was as much of an olive branch as Techno was capable of offering at the moment. Either way, he decided not to worry about it as he started eating his own potato.

Tommy and Tubbo started murmuring quietly to each other about nothing in particular. They had been practically attached at the hip since the fight in the pit, and Tommy seemed to have calmed down significantly with his best friend by his side. Good. Rage was something Techno was used to harnessing, but Tommy shouldn't have to. It didn't look right on him.

"How are you doing, Techno?" Niki asked quietly.

Techno shrugged and took another bite of potato. He was too tired and didn't know her well enough to give her a real answer.

"Hey, Techno?"

He glanced up at Tommy's voice.

Tommy had Tubbo's hand in his lap, fidgeting carefully with his fingers, refusing to look Techno in the eye. "... I'm... sorry."

"For what?"

Tommy glanced up at him, confusion swimming in his eyes. (Confusion was better than anger.) "What do you mean for what? For punching you, you idiot!"

Techno shrugged again. "Told you, it stays in the pit. You were upset, you punched me, I punched you, we put it behind us. Don't say sorry for somethin' that doesn't matter."

"... I still feel bad," Tommy admitted, glancing away again.

"Hey," Techno said impulsively. Usually impulsive was bad with him, usually impulsive meant someone would end up dead, but that ache was back and he was willing to be impulsive to make it go away. To make Tommy stop looking so downcast and guilty. "If it makes you feel better... so do I."

Tommy blinked once. Twice. "You do?"

Techno nodded. He hoped Tommy could read between the lines of that, extrapolate to what he really meant.

A small smile appeared on Tubbo's face, and he gave Techno a tiny nod. He understood. The ache eased slightly.

Tommy stared into the fire for a moment, still fidgeting with Tubbo's hand. Then he grinned at Techno, something bright and confident and reminiscent of the Tommy that had first brought Techno to Pogtopia. "Hey, leave it in the pit, right?"

The ache unraveled a little more. "Right."

"Aww, look at the boys bonding!" Niki cooed.

That broke the tension, and they all laughed. It felt good to laugh with people after the chaos of the day.

They all stayed there by the fire, chatting, for a long time. Techno didn't contribute much to the conversation, and no one pushed, which he was grateful for. Instead, Tubbo and Tommy carried the conversation with renewed energy. They fed off each other's presence, Techno noted; having Tubbo near him again had the same effect on Tommy as watering a wilting plant.

Eventually, though, the chatter wound down, as conversations are wont to do. Niki took the potato Techno had cooked earlier and went to go find Wilbur, and Tommy and Tubbo drifted off right there by the fireside, the adrenaline finally wearing off. They stayed together even in sleep, curled up together like they were afraid the other would disappear.

Techno stayed there for a while, keeping an eye on the fire, letting it die down into embers. When he was sure it was nearly dead, he stood, stretched, and unclasped his cloak, reaching over to drape the heavy fabric over the sleeping boys. It was cold in Pogtopia, after all, and with the fire nearly out it wouldn't be good to leave them as they were. Wouldn't want them to get sick or something.

Tommy shifted, curling tighter, and Techno caught a glimpse of a nasty bruise on his arm where he'd taken a punch.

Techno hesitated. The ache was back again, full force, and yet again he felt the need to do something about it. After a moment of consideration, he set his ender chest down in a convenient corner and took out a fresh regen potion. He debated on where to leave it, and eventually just tucked it under the edge of the cloak where they'd find it when they woke up.

Then he rolled up his sleeves and headed toward the potato farm. He could probably get in a few hours of farming before someone forced him to sleep.

... And maybe he'd make Tommy and Tubbo breakfast in the morning. Actions spoke louder than words, after all.


End file.
